Furry Wings
by Midnight Stripes
Summary: The Voice has given Max specific instructions. She must take the flock and go to Forks, WA. There she'll find her whole destiny changes. Jealousy rages, love blooms, and Emmett eats human food. Twilight-Max Ride. JAX. Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

_**Please read intro!!!**_

Before each POV change, I'll tell you who it is. I don't know about you, but it drives me crazy when I can't figure out whose talking until I'm a few paragraphs in.

Whenever you see _**X X X **_it means that time passed and I didn't write what happened in that time because it would be boring. And not just boring for you to read but boring for me to write.

**Set after **_**The Final Warning**_** and **_**Eclipse**_**.**

I do not own Twilight or Maximum Ride. If I did, I would be a millionaire, which I am sadly not DX

Now…on with the story!!! Enjoy!

**Max's POV**

The sun light glittered off the huge lake beneath us. I have to admit, it was a beautiful sight. The clouds were sparse and fluffy, the air temperature on the ground in the mid-70's. So why wouldn't I just tell my flock to land near the lake and relax for a few hours on the beach?

Because I'm Maximum Ride and what is one very important, yet equally annoying thing, that makes me who I am? If you guessed 'getting attacked by robotic wolves frequently', congratulations! You win a $5000 trip to Paris!

In case you misunderstood my sarcasm and thought you were actually getting a trip to Paris, I'll elaborate: We (as in the flock and me) are currently fighting for our lives against Fly Boys.

"Scatter!"

I glanced to my right briefly to see Gazzy shove a bomb down a Fly Boy's throat. The flock flew in different directions: Iggy swooped down while cackling in anticipation; Fang darted left carrying Akila; Nudge sprinted up; Angel skipped backwards with Gazzy; and I grabbed Total, who could fly but not fast enough to avoid impact, then zoomed up near Nudge.

_BOOM!!!_

Fly Boy pieces were flying everywhere. The one that had the bomb in his throat…Not a sight I'd like to see again. Ever. It was gag-worthy to say the least. But apparently that didn't phase the Gasman or Iggy as they laughed in excitement over their latest invention. I rolled my eyes and scanned the area for extra Fly Boys.

_Hello Max. _I flinched when I heard the Voice.

_Voice, long time no hear._

_I have a new destination for you. Forks, Washington. There you'll find your mission will take an interesting turn._

It took me a second to think of a response. The Voice never says anything that will give me a hint of what's to come. I seized upon my chance to find out more. _What's in Forks?_

I really hadn't expected an answer, so it wasn't a surprise that silence greeted my question. I sighed and turned to my flock. They look at me expectantly. As far as I could see, the only injuries were minor cuts and bruises.

"Okay guys. The Voice told us where to go now. Forks, Washington. So, let's find the nearest town, locate a map, and then we'll be on our way." I was just turning to scan the land far below for any sign of a town when Nudge spoke up.

"Um, Max? I'm hungry."

"Okay quick change to the plan: Find a town, locate a map, get food, _then_ we'll be on our way. Sound good?" Nudge nodded enthusiastically and smiled. I grinned back and returned to scanning for civilization.

Ah hah! About two miles away I spotted a road, and roads always lead to a place with food and maps. Twenty minutes later, the flock plus Total and Akila landed in an outcropping of trees close to a gas station. I strode purposefully toward the small building smelling strongly of gas (duh) with Angel and Iggy. Fang, Nudge and Gazzy were heading down the street to see if there was any quick place we could eat. Total and Akila went with them. I wonder if the place will allow dogs.

Iggy's finger was gently brushing against my shoulder to guide him in the right direction. We stepped inside and guess what was sitting right on the counter by the door. Maps. Someone up there must love me very much. Wait a second, I take that back. There were maps all right. But there were many, many confusing maps to choose from. I can imagine whoever is up there grinning evilly as they watched me stare at the overload of maps.

"You two go pick things we need, which includes food for tomorrow morning." Angel and Iggy nodded and walked toward the back of the store, Iggy's fingers resting lightly on her blonde, curly hair.

Meanwhile, I stood staring at all the freaking maps. Who knew this could be so complicated? I picked one at random and found that it was a map of this town. Why on earth would anyone need a map of a town this small? On the upside, I now knew that we were in Rigby, Idaho. Anyone from Rigby? You're one of the 3,000 people that live there. Congratulations.

My eyes travelled over the other maps until I found one of the continental U.S.A. way in the back. Well, it looks like we are not too far from Washington. I kept that map in my hand. It took me another minute to locate a map of Washington.

_Are you and Iggy done?_

_Yes_. Angel replied in her sweet little girl voice. I moved near the register and pulled out my mysterious credit card that never ran out of money. A few seconds later Angel and Iggy came up beside me with a few things. I looked them over and decided that they were reasonable.

We moved up to the register. The clerk barely glanced at us as she rang up our stuff and said the total in a bored voice. She handed us our bags and went back to reading the teen magazine she was oh-so engrossed in.

Fang was waiting outside a small diner a block down the street. Total and Akila had apparently not been allowed in the restaurant so they had to wait outside. Total grumbled under his breath as we walked by.

Fang led us inside to a booth where Nudge and Gazzy were already inhaling food. He slid in front of a pile of food and started chowing down. My stomach rumbled loudly as I looked over the menu. The elderly waitress came over and took our orders. She seemed like a nice lady and only frowned slightly at our big appetites.

Five minutes later, Angel, Iggy, and I were eating our food and enjoying every single bite. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten something that wasn't on a stick. The check came a little while later. I once again used the magic credit card to pay for our large meal.

We grabbed the bags and headed back to the trees.

"So what did you get? I really hope it was something nice! Hey, where are we staying tonight? In another cave or in a nice forest? I wonder what Forks will be like? I think Forks is a weird name for a town. It would be funny if a town near it was named Spoon! Oh, and another could be named Spork!" Seeing as food wasn't making her incapable of talking anymore, Nudge launched into her infamous one-sided conversations. She started laughing at the end over her own joke.

I rolled my eyes and pulled out the maps I bought. Fang and I peered at the spread out maps on a somewhat-flat rock. He traced his finger along a path from Rigby, Idaho to Forks, Washington.

"Should only take us about eight hours." He murmured quietly.

I nodded and folded the maps back up. "Okay guys, U and A."

We snapped out our wings in unison and flew up into the sky. The sun was just starting to set.

I glanced back at the lake and saw the bright colors of the sunset reflected in the calm water. _Beautiful. And I don't call things like sunsets 'beautiful' too often._

_**X X X**_

The sky was dark and filled with stars. We had finally dropped into a nearby forest when Angel had missed a beat while flying because of her exhaustion. The three youngest crashed right after our fist-stack. Total curled up against Angel's side while Akila curled up against Total. Iggy set the bags on a wide branch and laid down on the branch right below it. Fang volunteered to take the first watch.

I was just about to crash myself when Fang spoke quietly to me. "Max? Can I talk to you for a second?"

_Oh boy. _I hate talking about my feelings, which I'm pretty sure he wanted to do. I would rather saw at my own arm than talk about my feelings. (Yes, I know I've already sawed at my own arm. But, in my defense, I was under a world-load of stress and the Voice pushed me over the edge.)

I steeled myself and moved back toward him. My legs dangled off the branch I was sitting on.

"We need to talk…about _us_." Fang started. I already disliked this conversation.

"What about us?" My voice was hard without being cruel. Fang looked at me with his dark eyes that matched his dark hair and his dark clothes.

"You hated me with that girl in Virginia and I hated you with that guy in Virginia. Think about it Max, why did we hate seeing each other with other people? I don't about you, but I came up with the answer a long time ago." Fang stared at me intently, willing me to realize what my stubborn mind wouldn't acknowledge.

"Wake me up when it's my turn for watch." That was my brilliant response. Then I quickly got up and tried moving back to my branch but Fang caught my wrist. He stood up fast and pulled me back to him. Before I knew it, he had softly but firmly pressed his mouth to mine. I froze for a second before moving my arms around his neck. I don't know what changed this time, but I didn't run away.

Fang was surprised but happy that my arms pulled him closer. I could tell by the smirk I felt on his lips. He moved his hands up my back and massaged the place in between my wings. I gripped his hair and moved my lips more fiercely against his.

We were breathing hard and our kiss was becoming more heated with every second. I heard a rustle of wings behind me that made me jerk away from Fang. I looked at him for one second before my face flushed with embarrassment and I quickly moved back to my branch.

How could I forget the flock was only three feet away? If one of them woke up, they would see me and Fang making out. That just wouldn't be right. Fang would understand…if I had enough guts to talk to him, that is. Which I don't.

I shut my eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

_**X X X**_

It seemed like two seconds later that someone gently nudged me awake. Instantly I bolted upright and glanced around me. Fang was standing there looking at me. I turned away when he spoke.

"Your watch."

I nodded and moved to a branch near the center of the tree. I didn't glance back at Fang to see if he was watching me.

The forest all around the tree we were in was quiet at this time of the night. I guessed it to be around 1 A.M. During watch, all you're supposed to do is sit there and listen and look for any signs of a threat or even someone who might see us. You never know what could happen so you _never_ should let your guard down. The cute little rabbit staring up at you could all of a sudden transform into a giant vicious creature created by the School to wipe out experiments. Yes, I know. One vicious, blood thirsty thing doesn't sound too bad. But if it's out here trying to find us, it has friends. Lots of friends. Sorry for those of you who like rabbits, but when you're us, anything is possible.

Just as the sun was starting to rise, I woke up my flock. Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy sleepily mumbled and yawned. They really were cute kids who didn't deserve a life on the run.

Total flew down to "take care of business" while I had to carry Akila down so she didn't break her bones trying to climb our high up tree. Once Total and Akila were back in the tree, I looked around my flock.

Someone had woken up Iggy and Fang, who were both passing out the stuff from the gas station. Iggy handed me two sandwiches, a medium sized bag of Doritos (yum!), and an orange Gatorade. Okay, it's not the most nutritious breakfast, but its food and we need to eat if we are going to be flying for four hours straight.

Luckily, there was a campsite nearby that had a trash can for us, so we didn't litter! Thank you government for setting up national parks. It helps all us bird kids out there who need a place to sleep and don't want to cause even more environmental harm.

_**X X X**_

"Okay. I think we're here."

Roughly four hours later, we landed in some trees overlooking a town. I checked the map. The location seemed right. But, what on earth could be interesting here? I was expecting something bigger, flashier, evil-er. And what do I get? A small rainy town surrounded by forest with about 3,000 people. Do you see why I'm a little stumped about what we need to do here?

"How about we go into town and check into a hotel or something." Angel offered with a shrug. She seemed confused too.

"Good idea, Ange."

So, we headed into town, found the nearest hotel, checked in, got two rooms, took showers, then the boys met up in the girl's room.

Nudge Channel was going the whole time about what is here, who is here, "Omg, is that a spider?!", what food options we have, if there is a mall, yada yada yada. I need to think of a plan and FAST!

_**X X X**_

I was lying in the bed at the hotel, staring at the ceiling, just thinking. Fang and I had kissed before, but I had always run away. The last kiss, I kissed him back. What was I thinking? That is going to ruin everything between us! We won't be able to talk like we used to, or ever be as close.

As my mind kept up the confused babble, I looked at the clock. 8:37. I sighed. _Might as well wake everyone up._ Just as I put my feet on the floor, the Voice decided to pipe in and make my whole world just that much brighter.

_Good morning, Maximum._

I groaned slightly. _I see you haven't left my head yet. Any chance of that happening?_

_Today seems like a good day to explore the town and the forest. Why don't you take the flock and try to relax._

_Something tells me there's a hidden agenda involved._

_There always is Maximum._

I took a deep breath. _Might as well listen to him…her…it. _It was hard to tell if the Voice was male or female.

"Okay, up and at 'em! Today, we are going exploring!"

Nudge groggily mumbled into her pillow. Angel clutched Celeste closer to her and didn't make a sound.

"Don't say I didn't warn ya." I said evilly while walking over to the thick curtains. I whipped them back fast…and frowned. Yes, light came into the room. No, it was not enough to wake them up. Is it always this rainy in Forks?

I shrugged. _Time for a different approach. _I jumped on the bed they were sharing and tickled them both. Angel sat bolt upright in bed and started squealing. Even I had to laugh at her cute little girl giggles. Nudge's body shook with laughter as she tried to avoid my fingers.

It was times like these, when I was having a good time with the flock, that I really appreciated the small things I had.

Wait a second…Did I just have a sappy, mushy moment? Me, Maximum Ride. Ugh, I think I did. Gross.

After a few minutes of laughter I hopped off their bed and went next door to the boy's room. Gazzy answered. He was yawning and only nodded when I told him that we were going exploring today. As I headed back to my room I heard their shower running and hoped they were all up.

I waited for Angel and Nudge to be done with their showers before I jumped in myself. My mind kept wandering back to what the Voice said. It seemed too…against the whole save-the-world plan it kept pushing on me that I was beyond curious and just wanted to know what the hell my purpose here was.

_**X X X**_

After a very filling breakfast, made by the Ig man, we were off. Into the sky, over the forest and town, routine scouting to figure out what was going on below. To be honest, there wasn't much. I'll give Forks this: If you like small towns, with relatively no big franchises, where its quiet and peaceful, then Forks is right for you. Not me. I loved the forests. I loved that we have been attack-free so far. But when you're on a mission to save the world and the Voice in your head tells you to stop here, its not easy figuring out why. Okay, I admit that a majority of people have no issue with that. I know I'm slightly crazy.

After a half an hour of pointless 'scouting'(really, that's all it took to memorize every piece of the town from the sky), we touched down in a nice clearing about a five minute flight from the hotel. Surprisingly, the rain had stopped and the clouds let up slightly. Angel and Nudge searched around the clearing for flowers with Total and Akila trailing behind. That seemed like an okay activity.

But I was more suspicious of what Iggy and Gazzy were muttering some way away. It had better not be another bomb. If it set off in the hotel…Oh, God that would cause _so much_ trouble that wasn't needed.

I sighed and muttered under my breath as I turned away from the troublesome pair. And guess who was standing right there when I turned around. Yup. Fang. The guy who is my best friend and I made out with last night.

Fang and I stood staring at each other for a second. It was awkward. It had never been awkward between us.

I pointedly ignored the awkwardness. Right now, I needed to talk to my second-in-command. Badly.

"I don't know what is going on. The Voice gave specific instructions. Well, specific from the Voice, vague from anyone else. It told me to explore the town and forest today. To relax. Which it never says to me. Usually its 'Save the world, Maximum' 'It is your destiny to save the world'." I made a face at the end. More than once, I've heard the Voice telling me it's my duty and destiny to, well, 'save the world'. It gets pretty tiring after a while.

"Maybe there's something we need to find. In the town or the woods. Probably something to do with Itex." Fang, thankfully, acted only as my second-in-command and best friend. Nothing more.

Just as I was about to respond, I got tackled from behind. But this tackle didn't pump adrenaline into my veins faster than someone can say burrito. No, it was a tackle-hug. By two giggling girls.

Nudge squealed, "MAX!!! GUESS WHAT!!!"

I tried to act stern but they were so happy, it wouldn't make a difference. "What?"

Angel and Nudge yelled at the same time, "IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!"

_Huh?_

Angel laughed at my confusion. "I saw the date earlier! Its July 6th!"

"Wow. Really? Its my birthday?" I was kind of shocked. I guess I need to pay better attention to calendars.

Angel and Nudge had a pretty bouquet of flowers and they gave them to me with humongous smiles on their faces. Iggy and Gazzy walked over with grins. Even Fang, Mr. No Emotions, had a smile on his face. _How did everyone know but me? _

"Happy 15th birthday, Max!" I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I saw how happy everyone was. My smile faltered when Total jumped up and licked my face. _Gross._ Akila licked my hand and barked with a doggy-grin. _Well, it's better than the face._

"Ah, the birthday. The one time of the year when the day should be all about you. I wish I knew when my birthday was." Total sighed wistfully. Sometimes, I have no idea how he learned to talk like that.

"Happy birthday Max." Fang's small smile was still in place as he pulled a small box out of his backpack. "From all of us."

I opened it warily. Big surprise, I don't accept gifts too easily. Giving gifts to the flock, I'm fine with that. Receiving them, not too much. (Oh boy. Sappy, sugary moment coming up.) All I really need is my flock safe and happy and I'll be more than fine.

"You really shouldn-"

Nudge cut me off with a very energetic "Open it!"

I pulled the lid off and gazed into the small box.

Now, I'm NEVER a girly girl. Should I repeat that? Yes, I should. NEVER a girly girl. But even I couldn't deny that the necklace was perfect. It was a light-weight silver chain with a thin circular charm on it. The charm was beautiful. Intricate spiral designs covered a swirling green and blue stone.

I loved it.

How much of a shocker is that?

"Thank you so much. It's beautiful." I was slightly disgusted by the way my voice sounded thick with unshed tears. Oh, no. I refuse to cry over a beautiful, perfect, one of the best birthday presents I have eve-

I'll stop now.

"You're welcome." Fang took the necklace from my hands. His warm hand pushed my hair away from my neck and clasped the necklace so it fell right above my shirt, a few inches below my collar bone. I was distracted from the way the necklace looked when his fingers lingered longer than was necessary on the back of my neck. I shivered slightly, but not because of the chilly wind.

In typical Nudge fashion, she squealed, "GROUP HUG!!!" I was smooshed in the middle of my flock as they tried to suffocate me in their embrace.

After that delightful mess, where I got licked by dogs AGAIN, we headed into the forest for a walk. What else were we supposed to do? No one wanted to head back to the hotel yet, there was nothing to do in town, and the woods looked nice. As we walked and laughed, I slid the charm back and forth across the chain. It really was a nice gift.

We stopped about an hour later when we found a bunch of rocks perfect for sitting on. Thankfully, Iggy packed a very nice lunch for us all. So we had a picnic in the woods. The only thing that was unusual about it was that we normally flew into the forest instead of walking through it. Walking is slow.

Angel was sitting against my legs and munching on a ham sandwich when she shot upright and turned her head sharply to the left. Immediately I was on high alert and did a 360. Iggy had started packing up after I tapped his hand but I could tell his sensitive ears were picking up every sound. Fang stood next to me while Gazzy and Nudge stared where Angel's gaze was locked.

"Something is here."

_**XXXXX**_

Don't you love the drama? I will probably end a few chapters with cliffhangers but only one or two more will end like this one so you don't hate me after every chapter. The other ones will be something...different.

By the way, I just want to give you guys a heads up. My 'N' and a few other keys aren't working the best. So if you see a place where I missed a letter please let me know in a nice way so I can fix it. Thank you! (Just in those sentences I had to push the N key extra hard to get 'know' and 'thank'! It's so annoying!)

One more thing, I LOVE feedback. Tell me I suck, tell me you like the way I described Forks from Max's POV, tell me you think I'm a goddess from above, tell me about an annoying bitch who lives next door to you! Anything that is feedback and helps me improve my writing is a major help! And reading about other people's drama is fun for me. My mind is odd that way!

~Midnight Stripes

(Check out my profile if you want to know random info about moi!)


	2. Chapter 2

Hello wonderful readers! How is your day today? When I wrote this, my day was wonderful. I knew you really wanted to know that.

JP and SM own. (I have the same initials as Stepheine Meyer. SWEETNESS!)

**Alice's POV**

"So…who wants to go hunting?" Emmett suggested.

I raised my hand, along with Jasper and Rosalie. It was a pretty boring day. Even I couldn't think of anything to do. Emmett called up to Carlisle and Esme that we were going hunting, and we rushed out the house, jumping over the river within a second of each other. Jasper held my hand as we ran side by side.

A small smile was on my face as we sprinted through the trees. My muscles felt good being able to stretch out and use their full power. Just as the first scent of elks hit me, I stopped in my tracks.

I felt Jasper's hands on my shoulders and heard Rosalie and Emmett back tracking to us. My mind registered this while my eyes stared ahead blankly, not seeing the woodsy surroundings.

_The day was not unlike today. The clouds were blocking out sunlight but it wasn't raining. I recognized my family in our living room. But there were six other people there, with two dogs. I didn't know who they were. I had never seen them before in my life._

_Three of them looked to be around 15 years old. Two were males, one blonde, one with dark…everything, and the other a female with blonde hair. She was beautiful. Close to vampire beautiful. Esme and Carlisle were talking with her and the guy with dark hair, dark eyes, and dark clothes a little ways away from everyone else._

_There was a boy who looked younger than ten years old. He was watching a movie with Emmett, Jasper, Edward, and the oldest blonde guy. The two dogs were also watching the movie. Is that possible? There was something strange about they way the oldest blonde guy's eyes were looking in the direction of the TV but weren't following any of the people on screen, like everyone else's eyes._

_Rose and I were laughing and looking in a hair magazine with the two younger girls. One had mocha-colored skin with dark frizzy hair and the other was the most adorable little girl I've ever seen. She was sitting on Rose's lap while Rosalie pulled a brush through her blonde curls. _

"_I think the best hairstyle for you, Nudge, would be long and straight with the darkest brown lowlight we can find." As I was talking I ran my fingers through the mocha-skinned girl's hair. She nodded excitedly and grinned._

_The little girl spoke through the cutest little giggles. "Plus, it'll look great with your wings!" _

_Nudge laughed as a wing extended from a hidden slit in her jacket and she examined the feathers, comparing them to the picture of the hairstyles we'd chosen for her. "Yeah Angel, you're right!" _

The last of the vision shocked me so much I jerked back to the present with a gasp. None of my family in the vision had been the least bit shocked when a _wing _extended from a girl's back.

"Alice? What did you see?" Jasper's worried voice made me look up. Rosalie was staring around in the forest, seeming bored, while Emmett was looking at me with excitement, probably hoping that a fight he would enjoy was coming up.

"I saw six people and they had two dogs with them. We were all in the living, the eight of them plus us. Everyone was acting normal: Rose and I were looking through a hair magazine with the two youngest girls; Carlisle and Esme were talking with two of the oldest; and Jazz, Em, and Edward were watching a movie with one of the older guys and the youngest boy. And the dogs were also watching the movie, which really confused me."

"That doesn't seem enough to stop the vision. I felt your emotions. It was like an electric shock, it jolted you out of the vision." Jasper had been paying attention to my mood.

"This is the weird part. You know Rose and I were with two of the youngest girls. By the way Rose, the little girl is adorable and she was sitting in your lap while you brushed her cute little blonde curls. Her name is Angel." I had finally captured Rosalie's full attention. She had a small smile on her face and Emmett slid his arm around her waist. We all knew how much Rosalie wanted a child. She will love Angel from the first time she lays eyes on her.

"What was the weird part?" Jasper was still concerned about me. His hands on my shoulders were sending calming waves throughout out my body. _He really does worry about me too much._

"I picked a hairstyle for one of the girls, her name is Nudge. Angel said 'Plus, it'll look great with your wings!' I thought she was joking. But then an actual _wing _extended from Nudge's back. With feathers and everything! And the vision-us didn't bat an eye! Like it was a _normal _thing to have wings attached to your back!"

Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie all stared at me.

"Wings?"

"Like birds?"

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes. Wings, like birds. And I'm dead serious."

Emmett pondered what I said for a second, scratching his chin. We all waited for the inevitable dumb ass comment. "I wonder if they taste like chicken."

Jasper shook his head mournfully at our brother's misplaced sense of humor. "I think we should skip this trip and get back to tell Carlisle what Alice saw."

We nodded and shot off back in the direction we came from. I ran through the vision over and over in my head. The wings had shocked the hell out of me. And it takes a lot to shock me, let alone any vampire.

A minute later, we were within one hundred feet of the river. I heard a heartbeat inside the house I was familiar with. _Bella._ That means Edward was home too.

_Hey bro! Get Carlisle and Esme. I had an interesting vision. _The four of us flew into the house and skidded to a halt when we reached the living room. Carlisle and Esme were standing there waiting for us.

"Edward said you had a vision." Carlisle started.

I would have talked in vampire-speed, but Bella was there and she would get very annoyed. So I nodded my head and launched into an explanation of my vision in a speed the human could understand. Edward really does need to change her soon. Human speed anything is too _slow_! Edward's eyes narrowed slightly when he heard that thought.

"You saw people who aren't human at our house? And one of the girls had wings? Do you think the others had wings too?" Carlisle had a small smile on his mouth at the possibility of new information.

I thought about his question for a second. "I didn't see any other wings besides Nudge's but they most likely do."

"Was I there?" Bella asked. I shook my head. She frowned and muttered _not fair._

I stared blankly ahead for about two seconds, just enough for me to see the change. Rolling my eyes, but with a grin on my face, I spoke directly to Edward. "You always let her get her way, don't you?" He shrugged while Emmett laughed.

"You said that no one was showing any hostilities toward each other. I didn't see a problem in having Bella there as well." Bella grinned and kissed his cheek, thanking him. _She has no idea how much she has you whipped. _I received a glare from my brother and responded with a mature stuck out tongue.

"Do you have any idea when we should expect them?" Esme questioned with a motherly smile. No doubt she was thinking how wonderful it would be to have children in the house that actually had beating hearts.

"Today is July 6th…I would guess in about two days."

**Max's POV**

"Get ready for a U and A." I whispered under my breath to Fang. He nodded the slightest bit and tapped the back of Iggy's hand twice murmuring directions so Iggy didn't break a tree.

_Angel, tell Gazzy and Nudge to prepare for a U and A._

I saw Angel close her eyes in concentration. Out of the corner of my eye, Gazzy and Nudge nodded. Our jackets ruffled slightly as our wings unfolded enough so we could snap them out in a split second. Total and Akila moved toward Fang and me.

I judged the distance it would take to extend my 13-foot wingspan without hitting a tree or a flock member and adjusted my footing a few inches to the left. Adrenaline was pouring into my veins, making my muscles tense with anticipation. I hate flying away from a fight but I'd rather have the flock get away from it than have a chance for someone to get seriously injured.

Not even half a minute had passed since Angel gave the first alert.

_Max, whatever is out there is different than anything else I've ever read. _Angel's voice sounded confused.

_What does it sound like?_

_I can't tell how many people it is, their minds all seem connected somehow. I can sense at least two not too far from us. They caught our scent and are curious what it is._

_Is it human?_

_Maybe? Their thoughts are human…but there's something about them that seems wolf-ish. But not Eraser or Fly Boy like. Not even evil._ Her frustration at not knowing was starting to show.

_Is it worth staying or do we not have enough time?_

As soon as I thought that, I heard the heavy pad of huge paws not 100 feet from us. Our heads snapped in the direction of the sound and we all prepared to fight.

The thudding of the over-sized paws stopped just barely outside our eyesight. In a place not crowded with trees, we would easily be able to see whatever it was. I scanned the tress for any sign of what was there. Angel gasped quietly beside me and sent me a thought.

_I can tell that there are three wolf-human things. They don't seem too vicious to us but I'm pretty sure we can take them if they attack. And one other thing…They thought we might be vampires. The wolf things and vampires are apparently mortal enemies._

_Okay. Did you say vampires?! _I know that nothing in my life should surprise me. But seriously, vampires?! As in, blood, fangs, and coffins? What happened to the world? I can't fix this! No one can fix this! _Do they have anything to do with the School?_

_Yeah, vampires. Some family called the Cullens. Nothing with the School, as far as I can tell._

_Thanks sweetie. _I hated to ask this, but right now, Angel knew more about them than I did. _Should we U and A?_

_Yes and fast so they can't tell what happened._

_Okay, send that thought. U and A on 3._

I waited a second for everyone to get the thought. Then I whispered under my breath so no one but the flock could hear.

"1…2…3"

On three, I snatched up Total and shot up into the trees. The flock followed and I heard crashes as we broke through trees. Fang had grabbed Akila quickly but as we were passing over the clearing she started to slip. He couldn't hold on to her.

With a yelp, Akila started to fall 300 feet to the ground below.

"AKILA!!!" Total screamed even as I tossed him to Fang and sped after the rapidly descending Malamute. I tucked my wings in and dove as fast as I could. Barks and shouting reached my ears through the rush of wind. Akila was 50 feet from going _splat_!

I gritted my teeth, using the tips of my wings to guide me to her. Just in time I gripped her waist and slowed down the slightest bit.

But I didn't have enough time to pull out of the dive.

We collided into the ground with a thud. I felt something break and forced myself to not scream in pain. Akila's weight was on me, so I was sure she made it okay. It wasn't until I heard a familiar thudding of paws that I realized whatever was in the trees had heard what was happening in the clearing and wanted to check it out.

Without sparing a second's thought on my ankle, which I was sure was broken, I sprang up and got an iron grip on Akila. My wings snapped out and caught the wind as I used my maximum speed to reach the flock. Fang immediately took Akila from my arms.

"Let's head back to the hotel." One glance into the forest below showed big shapes moving just within the tree line. "And fast!"

No one spoke as we sprinted to the hotel. We touched down behind the building, pulling our wings in tight. Angel kept glancing at me worriedly. Clearly she had heard the pain in my thoughts. The flock followed me into the girl's room, each one finding a spot to sit or lay down.

I spoke calmly and nonchalantly. "Iggy? Can you check out my left ankle?"

Angel frowned as Iggy stood up and walked toward me. Sometimes I really wonder how he can avoid running into anything.

His fingers skimmed my ankle with a feather light touch, not causing me any more pain than I was already in. He sighed. "It's broken. There's a first aid kit in Fang's backpack. Can you hand it to me, Fang?"

Fang grabbed the small kit and handed it to Iggy. His expression was blank, but I could see the tightening around his eyes, the worry in them. He hated seeing any of the flock in pain, especially me. His eyes were locked on my face the whole time Iggy was examining my ankle.

I dropped my eyes to the floor. I couldn't meet his intense gaze without blushing. _What is wrong with me?_

_You love him. And he loves you. It shouldn't be a complication for you much longer. _I flinched as the Voice filled my head.

_What do you mean by that? What's going to happen?_

In typical Voice fashion, I got no response. Well, that just added a _whole _lot more confusion and worry to my life that wasn't needed.

I was pulled out of my puzzlement when a tug on my ankle sent a stab of pain through me. _Ow. _I put on a brave face and hoped Angel wasn't listening to my thoughts too closely. A six year old didn't need an ulcer from worrying about me.

Iggy finished up taping my ankle and sat back. "You shouldn't walk on it for a few hours. I know, it'll drive you crazy, but you don't want to make it worse. Judging by what I can feel, the break should be fully healed in about two days. Maybe less."

"Thanks Ig."

_**X X X**_

It had been 3 hours, 27 minutes, and 42 seconds since I had gotten out of bed. I was about to go insane. And you know what? Iggy said I still had to stay in bed.

"Max, it's just for another hour."

Iggy said that an hour ago. Instead of going insane I'm thinking about strangling him. Angel was taking Total and Akila on a walk with Fang so I could swear like a sailor in my head without her hearing it.

Just as I was in the middle of a particularly colorful statement, the Voice chimed in.

_It's for your own good. You'll be healed sooner than you think and ready to go exploring again._

What…the…fjord. _What are you on?!_

The Voice didn't bother responding (again) and I went back to fuming (again). But a few seconds later I felt an all-too-familiar rush of heat that flooded my body and pumped adrenaline into my veins. My breathing picked up slightly when the fire washed my ankle. Nobody seemed to notice that I was taking a shower in heat.

It was gone as fast as it had come.

_**X X X**_

Four hours, 36 minutes, and 21 seconds I have been in bed. For my own good. You want to know why I haven't screamed "SCREW THIS!" and jumped out of bed yet? Because Iggy decided to make sure I stayed in bed by threatening to have the Gasman let one rip in my face if I tried to get up. How's that for evil genius.

I stared blankly at the TV. It was a random show on MTV that was very stupid and pointless. People like this annoy me. They're spoiled by their mommies and daddies and grow up to be complete idiots.

"Can somebody please change the channel before I claw my own eyes out?"

It was switched to some movie I didn't know with actors I didn't know. I'm going to try sleeping instead.

_**X X X**_

"Iggy, you should know that I am five seconds away from choking you to death. Let me out of this bed!" I know I'm acting like a drama queen. But staying put for more than a few hours makes me go insane! I needed to get out of this hotel and fly!

The blind psycho-path contemplated my statement with an amused look, "Fine. You can get up. But let me check your ankle first."

His fingers skimmed my broken ankle lightly. His expression became perplexed and he examined my ankle thoroughly three times.

He didn't say anything for awhile and I became worried. "Iggy? What's wrong?"

Iggy sat back on his haunches. "I don't know how, but…your ankle is healed. It only took hours when it should have taken two days. Did you get a new power or did I miscalculate the damage?"

I remembered the rush of heat and what had happened the other times I had felt it. "I think I got a new power. Wow, super-fast healing skills. This will come in handy." I smiled and got out of bed. "Well, I'm off. If you need me, I'll be in the clearing."

_**XXXXX**_

So…what did you think? I sucked? I was amazing? I made you laugh at the 'fjord' thing? Tell me whatever you want!

I wish I could show you a picture of my dog. He's a chubby beagle named Buddy and he looks so darn cute right now! He's curled into a ball on my legs sleeping! It's adorable :)

Next chapter will be up soon…I think. Send me a review of any ideas you have! I love to hear other people's perspective!

~Midnight Stripes


	3. Chapter 3

JP and SM own.

**Max's POV**

I landed in the trees fifty feet away from the clearing. Why? Because I wanted to check if there were any mysterious wolf creatures like the two we almost encountered earlier. I did a 360-degree scan but didn't see anything. I shrugged and headed towards the clearing.

The clearing was quiet, calm, and, best of all, empty. It was a wonderful place to think about, let's say, an insane company's plan to get rid of half the world's population? I had tried hard to forget about my "destiny to save the world" but it all came rushing back as I had headed out the hotel room door.

The Voice had said one thing to me that put a whole lotta stress on my bird kid shoulders: _Don't forget your reason for existence, Max. The world still needs you._

I had frozen in place for a second or two, just long enough for Fang to notice.

Speaking of Fang, I was alerted to his presence by strong wing flaps and his light landing. He walked over to where I was staring blankly at the clouds.

"Max." Fang's hand was on my shoulder, reassuring but firm. Without saying a word, he knew what was going on. He knew I was stressed and worried and confused and angry and scared. There's a reason Fang is my best friend and second-in-command. "The kids need you to be strong. _I _need you to be strong. We'll try to help you figure this whole mess out.

"But…" Fang sighed. I was stunned into silence by how much he was talking.

"You're Maximum Ride. If you can't figure this out, no one can."

His hand slipped from my shoulder as he stepped away and snapped his wings out, leaving me alone in the meadow.

Or so I thought for about three minutes.

It was nothing an ordinary human could ever hear without help from technology. But I'm not what you'd call normal. I mean for Christ's sake, I have _wings._ Which now that I thought about it, were halfway outstretched. Well, that couldn't be good for my guest to see. They would either: A) Hunt me because I have wings; B) Freak out and call the cops because I have wings; C) Drag me back to the School because I have wings. Our options are never very good.

The footsteps pulled me away from my Nudge-like thought process. My body tensed as I used all my senses to gather information: Coming from behind me, about thirty feet; Lighter and more sure than any human I've ever heard before. So they either weren't fully human, not at all human, or a different kind of thing all together. Which in my nightmarish world, all three creatures are all too real, plus hundreds of other possibilities.

Adrenaline once again poured into my veins but I didn't give away that I heard them. That would give me the upper hand. I only heard one set of footsteps so it would be easier for me to fight whatever it was. If there was more than one, I would've flown out the second I heard them. But if I was being honest with myself, I really stayed because of a curiosity to know what was here…and a mysterious pull toward the thing in the woods wouldn't let me leave. My curiosity grew _so much_ right then.

The footsteps stopped. Using my wonderfully helpful extra senses, I could tell they were fifteen feet away, just barely inside the tree line. I could hear them breathing lightly, distinctly human but their footsteps were too quiet and graceful to be a normal human. So I had no idea what on earth was behind me.

But being the one and only Maximum Ride, I wanted to know. So I opened my big fat mouth and said the first thing that came to mind, "I know you're there."

Very subtle, right?

When I didn't get a response, I got impatient. I'm not good with waiting.

I turned around slowly to face whoever was there. It took me less than a second to locate a guy standing fifteen feet away in the tree line. How awesome am I?

I was distracted by his appearance. It was a day that would chill any normal human, yet he was wearing cut off jeans and no shirt. Based on his black hair and tan skin, I'd say he was Native American. A very bare and muscled Native American.

I dragged my eyes away from his chest to meet his gaze. In that instant, when our eyes met for the first time, everything changed.

The pull became an invisible force _dragging _me toward the half naked Indian. With surprisingly steady knees, I took a step toward him. He mirrored my movement, walking into the sparse sunlight, which only seemed to highlight his Native American features.

We continued like that, slow step after slow step that seemed both too sluggish and too quick at the same time. When we were two feet apart, we stopped.

He gazed into my eyes wonderingly, while I stared back into his warm brown eyes.

"Who are you?"

That question normally sounded harsh and violent coming from me. But when I directed it at him now, I sounded soft and girly. Something in me had _definitely _changed. I wasn't sure what yet but…I think I liked it.

"My name is Jacob Black." His voice was strong and deep, a contrast to my too-vulnerable tone.

"Maximum Ride. But call me Max."

Jacob's gaze softened as he whispered _Max _almost reverently. Two hours ago, I would've decked any guy who said anything like that. But coming from Jacob, it caused butterflies to batter against the inside of my stomach. Which, just to let you know, has _never _happened to me before.

Jacob and I walked closer. Only a few inches separated us now. I could feel the electricity crackle in the air around us. His fingers reached up hesitantly, his warm eyes searching mine, trying to find something. I willed my eyes to tell him that everything was fine, way more than fine. Jacob's fingers softly brushed my cheek, cupping it in his warm hand. I leaned into it and lifted my hand up to cover his.

"Your skin is so warm." I spoke quietly. We hadn't broken eye contact since we first saw each other.

"There's so much I have to tell you. But…I don't know what to say. I've explained it before, once, but this is so much different." Jacob's expression made me feel like the most important person in his life. I felt so…so…_loved, _oddly enough.

At that thought, I realized something that shocked the hell out of me.

I loved Jacob.

But _how? _We just met!

I couldn't explain how, even to myself, I just felt. And what I felt was a deep, passionate love for Jacob Black. It was stronger than anything I had ever felt before.

I turned my face into the palm that was cupping my cheek and kissed his warm skin softly. Jacob brought his other hand up to brush away stray strands of my hair. I took a step closer to him and laid my hands against his chest. The hand that wasn't cupping my cheek slowly trailed down my bare arm, leaving goose bumps, and settled gently on my waist.

Jacob leaned down slowly. I was just under half a foot shorter than him, so I stood on my toes to reach him better. The electricity sizzled and crackled like madness around us.

Our lips touched in the sweetest kiss you could imagine and my world exploded into fireworks. His soft, warm mouth pressed against mine in a loving way as we slowly moved our lips against each other's. I slid my arms around his neck to reach his height better.

We broke apart after a minute. It was a kiss that belonged in fairy tale books, right before the line _and they lived happily ever after. _

Jacob wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his muscular body. He rested his forehead against mine and I smiled in happiness.

My curiosity was spiked again by a few things. "What were you saying before about needing to tell me something? And why haven't you mentioned my…wings yet?" I suddenly became very self-conscious about my wings. _What if Jacob didn't like them? What would he say? _I lowered my eyes to the ground.

Jacob planted a kiss on my forehead and gently pulled away. He sat against a rock and tugged me into his lap. I rested my head against his chest and waited.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know. I haven't said anything about your wings because I was waiting for you to say something. When I first saw them…I thought you were an angel. Can I…" Jacob spoke quietly and hesitated at the end.

Surprise covered my face as I looked up at him. One hand brushed my cheek while the other reached slightly toward my back. I never let people outside my mom, Ella, and the flock touch my wings. But I trusted Jacob fully and I loved him.

I extended my wings just far enough so they wouldn't hit him but he could still see them. Jacob kept his eyes locked with mine as he touched my wing for the first time. He stroked the feathers softly, amazement on his face as he stared at them.

I was so happy he wasn't repulsed by them that I started to cry. I ducked my head under his chin to hide my tears.

Jacob's hand rubbed soothing circles between my wings and he spoke quietly, "Max, what's wrong?"

I tried to speak around the lump in my throat. "Nothing is wrong. I'm just _so _happy you aren't freaked out by my wings." I laughed, embarrassed by my ridiculous tears. "I never cry like this. Normally I'm Ms. Tough Girl."

He lifted my chin up and kissed each of the tears away that had fallen. "Don't worry about it. I could never be disgusted or not like anything about you. I love you, Max."

I smiled so wide I could've been in a toothpaste commercial. "I love you too, Jacob."

His expression was one of pure joy and love as he leaned down to passionately kiss my lips. I couldn't remember a time in my life when I had felt as happy and adored as I did right then.

"I should tell you now." Jacob seemed worried about telling me. I switched my position so my knees were on either side of his hips and I was facing him. I placed my hand against his cheek and hoped he'd get that I was silently telling him not to worry.

Jacob looked into my eyes, smiled, and then told me everything. And I mean _everything._

_**XXXXX**_

I am blown away by how many people have read and liked this story. Thank you so much!! I literally could not stop smiling and jumping up and down as I read all the emails! Again, THANK YOU!!!

Two more things!

One- Sorry this didn't come sooner. I had it all written and I was done editing but then I got allergic conjunctivitis. Which means, I had VERY blurry vision for days :( It really sucked. I still have blurry vision but its better!

Two- When I saw people from Ireland read this story, I freaked. Both my parents are 100% Irish so when I saw that… Oh God, it was so amazing. I screamed and ran to tell my sister! But I'm pretty sure she couldn't understand half of what I said.

Thank you (again) to all my wonderful, amazing, fantastic readers!

~Midnight Stripes


	4. Chapter 4

JP and SM own. In this chapter I use some of SM's words. Just wanted to let you know they aren't all from my brilliant mind. You'll know when it's Mrs. Meyer's.

**Jacob's POV**

I stared at the ceiling of my living room. The wedding invitation had come a week ago. Yet I still couldn't let go of my love for Bella. I knew that she would either die or become a vampire. She would be married to that bloodsucker soon and never love me.

I had tried to run away to escape the pain. But I just couldn't do it. Something held me back. Some invisible force kept me here, not allowing me to leave. I didn't know what, but I wished it would go away so I could leave this place and never come back.

I sighed as I looked at the clock. I still had a few hours until my shift for patrol. Might as well get a little shut-eye.

_**X X X**_

_Jake…Jacob…Come on, man! WAKE UP!_

Quil's voice interrupted my strange dream about a familiar clearing and a brown speckled bird that I was trying to follow.

"Your patrol started an hour ago! Get your ass out of bed!"

_Shit._

I groggily rolled out of bed and rubbed my eyes. Shuffling toward the kitchen, I grabbed a family sized bag of chips off the counter on my way out. Quil and I walked to the forest instead of running to finish off the chips before phasing. I crunched the bag into a ball and lobed it into a trash can twenty feet away.

Quil and I grinned at each other before speeding into the trees. We leapt over fallen trees and twisted around thick trunks like acrobats. As soon as we were far enough into the forest so no humans could see, I tied my pants around my ankle. The air shimmered and heat ran down my back as I phased. Really, phasing had become second-nature to me. It was easy to control now.

As soon as four paws hit the ground, my mind was assaulted.

_You're an hour late._

_Dude, what were you doing? We had to send Quil after you!_

_Great, it's you. Try your best to not think about Bella when I'm in your head. It's disgusting._

_What took you so long?_

I sighed and only responded to Sam. _I fell asleep and didn't realize the time. Sorry I'm late._

_Set an alarm next time._ Sam had been worried something had happened but he wasn't mad.

Quil and I ran around the forest patrolling.

_How's patrol going? _I asked anyone.

_Same as usual. Nothing new tonight. _

_I wouldn't say that Seth, _Embry broke in. _I just picked up a scent near a clearing. It's not bloodsucker but it's not really human._

_Check it out. Quil, Jacob catch up to him. You're in the same area. _Sam's order had Quil and me switching direction to meet up with Embry.

_How many does it smell like? _I asked.

Embry lifted his nose in the air and took a deep breath. His thoughts became puzzled as he sniffed again. _Um…six humans, two dogs. But…it's not fully human. It smells…bird-like. Any idea what it means?_

_No. Maybe they live around a lot of birds? _Quil thought. Even he knew that sounded ridiculous.

_No, that can't be it. The bird is part of the scent, not from a different source._

_Okay, we'll be there in a minute to track it. _I picked up my pace. Honestly, I was damn curious about what it was. And it was better to think about this than my depression.

Quil and I loped to Embry's side at about the same time. We headed off, following the strange trail into the woods. We ran without talking about too much. Just occasional comments about the new scent.

It was strange…The scent seemed to draw me for some reason. That force that kept me from leaving now pulled me toward the scent. Quil and Embry didn't feel the same way so I thought I was just imagining it.

The trail was freshest when we first heard the heart beats. We paused about a 100 feet away from the group. Their heart beats were off, too fast for humans. Between the trees and bushes we could barely make out the group. They looked human. But they didn't smell like full humans. It wasn't a repulsive smell, like a bloodsucker but it was strange. That same pull was trying to drag me toward them but I couldn't move any closer without blowing our cover.

_What do you think, Jake? _Embry was just as stumped as I was.

From what I could dimly see, they were all standing up and looking in our direction. They seemed on alert, their bodies tensed. Even the two dogs were standing and staring at the place where we were. _Can they hear us? Or even see us?_

_I don't know. It shouldn't be possible for humans. _Quil wanted to go up to them but we all knew that would be stupid to reveal ourselves to humans, even if they didn't seem fully human.

_Observe them. _Sam was closely monitoring our thoughts, wanting to know what they were too. We focused on them. I felt the rest of the pack also listening to our thoughts.

At a sign we didn't see or hear, they all shot up into the air so fast we just caught a glimpse of what happened. They had something like…wings that propelled them into the sky. We could hear the crashes as they broke through trees.

_What the hell?_

That pretty much summed up what we were all thinking…or not thinking. Some people were stunned into silence.

_Wait for me. I want to check out the area. _We could see Sam pouring on the speed as he ran toward us.

Then something even more strange happened.

We heard a yip from a dog that came from the sky. And someone yelled.

Without really thinking about it, we raced toward the clearing.

_Stop in the trees. Do NOT go into the clearing unless I give the okay. _Sam ordered.

_Got it. _I was ahead of Quil and Embry by a few feet. Once we were ten feet from the tree line, we stopped. I could see a big white thing that looked like a dog falling from the sky. There was a shape racing after it. With wings. The winged person caught the dog just in time. But they couldn't pull out of the dive fast enough. They collided with the ground hard.

_Ouch. That's gonna leave a mark._

_Yeah, _I agreed with Quil, _especially at that speed._

I heard the rest of the pack hide in the trees around us.

Sam stood next to me and we all stared intently as the figure, who must've broken a bone or two, sprung up. Now that we weren't too far from the person I could see her clearly.

She was beautiful. I hated to say it, but she was vampire beautiful. Her blonde hair was long and windswept and her eyes were the color of milk chocolate. She wore jeans over her sculpted legs and a T-shirt that clung to her curvy but toned body.

Embry wolf whistled in his head. _Damn, she is hot!_

Before he had even finished that thought, she had flown back up into the sky, where a group of people were waiting for her. They zoomed away and through a cloud bank.

You know that pull I told you about? It had taken hold of my heart and tried to yank me into the clearing. I felt the most powerful desire to go to the girl.

What is going on with me?

_**X X X**_

_Embry thinks it smells like chicken._

_That's 'cause it really does smell like chicken! Don't you think it smells like chicken, Jake?_

_Sure, sure._ I was too busy thinking about my reaction to what had happened to fully respond. I had felt a _need _to help her when she hit the ground but I had no idea why.

While I worked my way through why I felt that way, when I haven't noticed any girl since I fell in love with Bella, I realized I had an audience. An audience that decided to commentate on my thoughts.

_She was hot. Maybe you wanted to help her 'cause she looks like a babe…with wings. _

_Genius, Embry. Just genius. _That came from the bag full of sunshine herself.

_Can it, you two. Jacob, your reaction wasn't severe. Maybe you just felt the need to help her because she was pretty and that crash looked painful._

_You're probably right. I just thought about it too much._

_**X X X**_

The next five hours passed without anything interesting happening.

I was running in the forest where we had seen the people with wings. The scent was still strong, and I was bored, so I followed it through the trees. I caught Embry's, Quil's, and my own scent mixed in when we had run to the clearing.

Suddenly, I crossed a fresh path. It couldn't have been more than five minutes old.

_Sam, there's a fresh trail of one of the bird people. I think it leads to the clearing._

He saw everything in my mind and knew I was planning on being human if I met up with the source of the scent. _Be careful. Phase back immediately if something goes wrong._

I ran with my nose slightly above the ground, following every twist and turn of the trail. The pack was keeping a close watch on where I was and what was happening. Quil was jealous he wasn't on the trail with me while Jared was contemplating theories about who they were with Paul and Seth.

The air shimmered as I phased back to human. I shrugged on my pants and moved quietly through the forest.

What I saw stunned me. There was a girl standing in the clearing with brown speckled wings. They weren't fully outstretched but they were beautiful. She looked like an angel.

I was distracted by girl so at first I didn't notice there was another winged person just landing in the clearing. He was tall and had dark hair, clothes, and wings. His hand rested on her shoulder, which sent an unexplainable jolt of jealousy through me.

"Max. The kids need you to be strong. _I _need you to be strong. We'll try to help you figure this whole mess out. But…" He sighed. The girl wasn't saying anything. "You're Maximum Ride. If you can't figure this out, no one can."

His hand slipped from her shoulder as he stepped away and snapped his wings out, leaving her standing alone in the clearing.

_Max. Maximum Ride. _It was a different name but it somehow seemed to suit her.

I had stayed silent and far enough in the trees that she didn't realize I was there. But that pull had been slowly building into a force trying to propel me forward.

I couldn't resist the urge to move closer to her any longer.

I took slow, cautious steps toward the clearing.

The second I made it within thirty feet of the tree line, Maximum's back straightened and her body tensed up, alerting me to the fact that she had heard me.

But I couldn't stop.

I had to literally force myself to stop walking. One more step and I would have been outside the slightest cover the trees gave me.

It was silent for a minute before she spoke. "I know you're there."

Her voice showed her lack of fear and to anyone it would sound harsh. But I could listen to the melody of her voice for the rest of my life and never grow tired of it.

Holy shit. Did I just think that? It was really starting to worry me that I could even think of something like that. Something was happening to me but I had no idea what.

I was pulled away from my weird out thoughts when Maximum huffed slightly. She seemed impatient as she slowly rotated to face me. Her face was every bit as flawless as I had thought it would be. It was the face of an angel.

Her eyes locked on my bare chest before moving to meet my wondering gaze.

As I looked into the chocolate eyes of Maximum, I felt something in me change. No, it wasn't _something_, it was _everything_. And it wasn't just a change. It was a whole new Jacob. Everything that had ever made me who I was-my love for Bella, my love for my father, my loyalty to my pack, the love for my other brothers, my hatred for my enemies, my home, my name, my _self_-disconnected from me in that second-_snip snip snip_-and floated up into space.

I was not left drifting. A new string held me where I was.

Not one string, but a million. Not strings, but steel cables. A million steel cables all tying me to one thing-to the very center of the universe.

I could see that now-how the universe swirled around this one point. I'd never seen the symmetry before, but now it was plain.

The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood. It was the blonde angel.

Maximum Ride.

_**X X X**_

I told Max the whole story about me being a werewolf. I told her what it was like, who was part of the pack, who the Cullens are, who the first ones to change were, everything I could think of to tell her. I saved imprinting for last. Max didn't interrupt once and I could see in her face she believed every word. When I was done she asked just one thing.

"So…we imprinted?"

I nodded. Max seemed to be absorbing it all. Then her expression became a bit upset. I was surprised and quickly ran through everything I said, trying to figure out why Max would be mad.

She looked down to hide her face. "That Bella girl, you said you had loved her but she loves one of the Cullens. Is she pretty?"

It took a second for me to realize what Max said. As soon as I did though, I laughed out loud and kissed her cheek. "You know, you're really cute when you're jealous." Max looked at me with a blush staining her face.

"Yes, Bella is pretty. But I love her like she's my little sister and nothing more. Max, baby, I love_ you_. And that will never, ever change."

Max smiled shyly, happy with my truthful answer, and laid her head on my chest. I started to rub circles in between her silky smooth wings again.

We stayed that way for some minutes, content in each other's arms. I was curious about how she had gotten her wings but I knew that she would tell me when she was ready. I had a feeling it wasn't the best story.

I was holding Max and thinking about how she looked more beautiful than any angel in Heaven when I heard the first howl. It was Sam, soon followed by Quil and Embry. It wasn't signaling danger, it was strictly for me to hear and phase so they knew what had happened.

"What's going on?"

"They want me to phase back. Remember I told you that I caught your scent and followed it? Well I've taken too long and they're worried now. I don't want to leave you but you can't be near me when I'm a wolf. If something happened to you Max, I could never forgive myself." I stared into her beautiful hazel eyes, willing her to realize I'm too dangerous to be around her when I'm a wolf.

Max laughed softly, the sound like tinkling bells to my ears. "Jacob, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not a normal human. For one, I have wings. If things seemed like they were going bad I'd fly out of there so fast you wouldn't notice. Two, you know I have better senses than humans because I heard you walking when you were still far into the forest.

"And one thing you don't know yet, is how strong and fast I am. I could easily break someone's spine with a well aimed kick. I've been in more fights to the death than you can imagine. And I'm still alive." My arms tightened around her waist at that bit of information. Maybe I shouldn't know her whole story. I'd definitely kill anyone who had ever tried to hurt Max. "I can handle myself against an out of control wolf. Besides, I don't want to leave you either."

My need to keep Max safe battled with my impulse to give her whatever she wanted. With a sigh, I finally gave in. I really didn't have much time to debate with the howls moving closer and becoming more urgent. Max smiled brightly and stood up fluidly.

"Please, just be careful! I don't want anything bad to happen."

She rolled her eyes. "Hurry up. It's hard to hover in trees." With that she took a running start and jumped six feet into the air, extending her wings at the same time. She flew in a wide arch and aimed into the trees, all with the slightest tip of her feathers.

I shrugged out of my pants and tied them around my ankle. A warm shiver ran up my back as I started to run in the direction Max went. I landed on all four paws and was immediately assaulted by my pack's thoughts.

_You've been gone two hours, Jake!! What the hell were you doing?_

_Jacob, what did you find?_

_About time! So what was the scent we found earlier? Seth still thinks it was someone who owns a pet shop._

_I do not! I said someone who has a bird for a pet!_

_Dude, where have you been? Embry was about to have a panic attack!_

_You were just as worried as me, Jared!_

_All of you be quiet! Did you find anything, Jacob?_

_Um…yeah I found someone._

I caught sight of Max ahead of me. She looked back and smiled as I sped up to run beside her. Max cut a sideways glance to me then grinned evilly. The next second, she was zipping through the trees so fast humans would only see a split-second blur.

I dug my feet into the ground and used all my strength to propel me through the forest like a bullet. I had lost sight of Max but I was slowly catching up to her. She was right about being fast. I'd guess her speed to be around 190 mph. I was actually puffing from using every bit of strength I had to try to run as fast as she was flying.

There was silence from the pack as they processed what was happening. Embry and Sam had actually stopped in their tracks.

_None of you guessed it would be a girl with wings and that this would happen, right?_

_Dude…you imprinted._

_Thank you, Embry, for stating the obvious. But I can't talk right now. She's beating me._

I could Max laughing delightedly up ahead. I tried my best to not think about how her laugh sounded so innocent and angelic. They would never let me live it down.

About 100 feet away, Max was leaning against a tree and waiting for me with a devious expression. When I stopped in front of her she smirked, "I win, wolf boy."

I playfully licked her face and she laughed. "Ew, Jake!"

Finally, Sam broke out of his stupor. _Jacob, bring her to your house. We want to meet her._

_Sure, sure._

I nudged Max with my nose and bent to her level, telling her to get on my back. Max raised an eyebrow but climbed on. I knew she wasn't going to weigh much to me at all because humans never do. But she was positively _weightless. _If I didn't feel her legs I would've thought she didn't get on.

I turned my head back to give her a questioning look. Thank God for the imprint, because I don't think she would have gotten what I meant without us being connected this way.

"I weigh about ninety pounds. It has to do with the way I was made. My bones are as light as a bird's and other things in my body are different because of the wings. I'll tell you everything later."

With those statements raising my curiosity up about ten levels, I started to run in the direction of my house, making sure I didn't jostle Max too much.

Sam, Seth, Quil, and Embry were almost to the edge of the trees near my house when they phased out, leaving me with Leah and Jared still on patrol. I waited for Leah to say something that would piss me off but she stayed silent. Jared was quieter than normal too.

Finally, the silence creeped me out. _Okay, what is going on with you two? Neither of you has said a word for almost ten minutes._

Jared responded. _It's just different, a better different, to hear your thoughts. Just two hours ago you were depressed and angry because of Bella and her bloodsucker. Now, you haven't thought of Bella or the Cullens once. It's a good change. I like Max already._

_She definitely has made it bearable to be in your mind. Just don't replay things you two do. I'm a girl and I'm straight. It's disgusting for me to have thoughts about kissing girls._

Leah said I was "bearable"? _I think hell just froze over._

_Fuck off, Jake. _She never calls me Jake either.

Jared observed our conversation in amusement. _You two might actually start getting along now. You can have sleepovers and do each other's nails while gossiping about the hottest celebrities._

_Two words Jared: Screw. You._

I laughed at this strange exchange. Leah's thoughts weren't tinged with anger for once, just slight annoyance and a tiny bit of humor. It was refreshing.

Max pressed her face into my fur and ran her hands through the thick coat on my neck. "You're so soft and furry. Like a puppy."

I snorted and kept on running. Leah and Jared were trading playful insults back and forth while the most beautiful girl in the world snuggled into my neck.

A short time later, we reached the spot where I normally phased to avoid being seen by a human. Max slid off my back and landed on the ground gracefully. She stared at me for a second before remembering to turn around.

The air shimmered around us and I quickly pulled on my jeans as soon as I was on two feet again. I grabbed Max's hand. "We're going to meet my dad and some of the pack I told you about. You're okay with that right?"

She smiled and kissed me swiftly. "I would love to meet your family."

**XXXXX**

The last two chapters were hard for me because I had two versions of where and when Max and Jacob imprinted. It took me three days to edit them together into this!

What do you think? Please give me any feedback! I really want to know what all of you are thinking! I love the reviews but I _need _you to tell me what you like and don't like and what I should fix!

~Midnight Stripes__


	5. Chapter 5

JP and SM own.

Get ready for some jealousy raging! We already had love bloom! Soon, Emmett will eat human food!

**Fang's POV**

I didn't go back to the hotel after I talked to Max.

I flew to a tall tree and settled in the branches to watch over her. I didn't want Max to get hurt again. It seems that whenever she is alone, she gets injured or kidnapped or something worse.

Lately I've felt very protective of her. Actually, ever since we passed the border into Washington, I have had an uneasy feeling that brought out a need in me to keep Max safe and away from people outside the flock. It seemed irrational to feel that way.

Until I saw a man in the trees behind her. At first, he looked like a harmless human. But then he walked towards Max while Max did the same. My heart was pounding at this point. They exchanged words but I couldn't hear them.

They moved closer. Max looked so small next to him. I was preparing to jump off my branch and fly down there and keep Max away from him. I didn't care that the guy or Max didn't show the slightest bit of hostility towards each other.

I had stood up and loosened my wings, a second away from swooping down into the clearing.

Then they kissed.

I wanted to stop watching but I couldn't pull my eyes away from the scene. It tore a gaping hole through my chest where my heart once was. I could feel the emptiness through the cold and wet despair that now clouded my mind.

Without another second's hesitation, I turned away from the clearing and locked my gaze on the gray ocean.

Flying through the clouds, I focused solely on beating my wings. It took less than a minute to reach the beach.

It was empty. I sat in the damp sand to think.

My thoughts were jumbled and depressing.

_Why did she choose him over me? _

_Who is he? _

_How does she know him? _

_How could Max do this to me?_

For an hour I didn't move any part of my body, except for deep, even breathing. I had become invisible awhile ago.

The misery didn't recede but something else slowly became stronger and took up the forefront of my mind. Soon it was all I could think about. My bleak depression was overshadowed by a red-tinged fury while my thoughts were smothered with revulsion and fury. Who did this guy think he was, trying to steal Max away from me?

I started shaking from my rage. Who did Max think she was? She toyed with my heart and then tossed it aside like it was meaningless as soon as she found another guy to play with.

But no matter how much Max had hurt me, I couldn't truly be angry with her. I still loved her. And I won't let her go without a fight.

A grim expression settled on my face as I stood up. I cracked my knuckles and rolled my tense shoulders before sprinting for a running start. My wings powerfully snapped out and easily caught the wind. I made course for the hotel where the rest of the flock was waiting. Iggy had probably blown the whole place up by now and Angel had mind-controlled everyone into believing it was the work of evil elves.

I knew Max wouldn't be back yet. It did surprise me and also annoy me that she would forget about her family so fast for a steroid-abusing Indian.

As I flew back to the hotel I tried to not think about the recent events as much as possible. I didn't want Angel to get upset if she heard any of those thoughts. I would wait for Max to get back so she can explain it herself.

It was a test of how paranoid this life has made me that even when I was flying 200 feet above ground and not paying much attention to my surroundings that I noticed four white streaks fly through a small opening in the trees beneath me. I had no idea what that possibly could've been. It wasn't human and didn't even seem like an animal. Immediately my enhanced eyesight locked in the direction it was headed. I flew in closer and scanned the trees until I saw the movement again.

I knew I probably shouldn't have but I was too curious to let it go. I quickly followed the streaks while staying high in the sky. Up ahead I could see a really nice house in the middle of nowhere and a river behind the house. The things were headed straight for the house. They leaped over the river in a matter of seconds and disappeared into the house.

Swiftly I aimed downward and picked a tree to sit in. I landed as quietly as possible, mentally patting myself on the back for the tree I picked. The whole back of the house was glass. I could see eight people standing in a living room talking.

But there was something about seven of the people. They were all unusually pale and beautiful. And they didn't act like a human. They stood too still and looked too solid. The other girl was obviously human. But I wondered about the others. Were they the streaks I saw? It seemed that way since there didn't seem to be anything else in there that could move like that.

_Who are they? _What _are they? _

I couldn't make out anything they were saying. I wanted to get out of there before any of them noticed me. Lightly I leapt from tree to tree until I was far away from the house. Then I loosened my wings and used my full strength to propel me through the branches in one shot. My teeth ground together when tree limbs smashed into my wings.

Once again I made course for the hotel.

**Bella's POV**

Edward's fingers delicately danced across the piano, playing a new song he was composing on the spot. I sat next to him with my leg lightly brushing his as I watched, mesmerized. The notes sang out a joyous melody, one of triumph, victory, ecstasy. I could imagine what his inspiration was.

Our wedding was just in a few weeks. Alice had already crammed my mind full of placement settings, flower arrangements, color schemes, and every other frightening but slightly exciting wedding detail she could think of. And she can think of A LOT of tiny, little insignificant details that Alice believes would cause a catastrophe. But I love her so I go along with it.

When I'm around the Cullens, I try my best to not think of the wolves. Well, not all of them. Just the one that's very close in my heart. Jacob hasn't talked to me since we 'broke-up', for lack of a better term. But I'm hoping he'll come around soon and we can be friends again.

Edward's last notes held a sound of wonder and a feeling there was a lot more to come. I don't know how he can transform our life into music.

I smiled and leaned my head on his shoulder, "That was beautiful. I loved it."

He kissed my forehead. Stroking my hair, he replied, "You're the best muse I could ask for."

We sat on the piano bench for a few short, blissful moments before, "BELLA!!! Get up here! I need to your opinion on bow colors!"

I groaned as I separated from Edward. He chuckled but stayed close as I moved toward the stairs. Apparently, it was one of those 'Alice-needs-everything-to-be-very-very-fast' kind of days: Before I had even put my foot on the first step, a hyper streak lifted me up and carried me back to her room. Alice didn't give me a second to catch my breath. She pointed to a whole row of bows lying on the bed.

I stared at them in confusion. "Alice…They're the same color."

She sighed exasperatedly. "Oh, Bella. Of course they're not the same color! That is Champagne, that one is Vanilla Cream, the one next to it is Coconut, that's Snow Day…"

Alice told me every single color name of the thirty-two white bows she had. I could hear Edward's muffled laughter from behind me. But I didn't feel like laughing. Randomly, I pointed to one and then proceeded to walk away.

"Hmm…Interesting choice. I'll see how it looks with the lights." Alice was already rushing around the house again, working on the endless details.

I stared at where she had last disappeared. "She actually enjoys driving herself crazy with every single little thing?"

Edward smiled and wrapped an arm around my waist. "Yes. Hard to believe, but she enjoys it very much."

I thought for a moment about what it would be like if she didn't. And the thought scared me so much. Images of piles of catalogs and samples crowding my room haunted me,"I'm just realizing how great it is to have a sister who will go to the ends of the earth for a simple ribbon for our wedding."

"Literally, the ends of the earth."

_Literally?_ "Edward...Do you mean Alice _really _bought stuff from places on the other side of the world?"

"What else did you expect? 'I need the satin chair covers straight from China!'" Edward's voice took on a comical pitch similar to Alice's.

Smothering my giggles, I opened my mouth to ask him if he could control the 'need-to-import'. But I cut off when his back went rigid straight. He seemed lost in his own world as his eyes glazed over. Just as quickly as he zoned out, he focused back and grabbed me around my waist. The wind from his speed whipped my hair around as he rushed us downstairs.

"Edward? Wha-"

As soon as I steadied myself from the sudden movement, I didn't need to question his strange behavior.

Alice stood in the center of the room, eyes wide and blank as saw something I couldn't. Jasper was right by her side and leaned protectively over her petite form.

Edward's eyes conveyed a blank horror as he was the only one besides Alice who saw what would happen in the future. Every vampire in the house was standing still as statues. There wasn't a single noise in the open room. My own body froze as much as a human's could as the stress and worry crashed over me in waves.

What was really only minutes felt like eternity as we waited for Alice's vision to finish. Her gasp as she came back to the present was oddly loud and made me jump.

Carlisle spoke in a calming voice that I could never achieve at such an intense moment, "Alice? What did you see?"

Edward's arms encircled me, pulling my body tight against his. His panicked embrace scared me. It felt like it would be one of our last. I pulled back slightly and shakily asked, "Edward? What's going on? You're scaring me."

His eyes never left mine but he addressed Alice, "Tell them. It's not a good idea to keep this from them."

Alice's sounded drained and weary, something I had never heard from a vampire. "The Volturi are coming. They have human allies. From what I saw, the humans aren't interested in us. They looked like scientists and dictators. It was hard to piece it all together but it sounded like they want eight 'highly unstable experiments' that are in Forks. The Volturi believe we're hiding the 'experiments' and that's their reason for coming after us. That and they've been waiting for a reason to destroy our coven for decades."

My heart was pounding painfully and my stomach twisted hollowly as I stared at Edward. I couldn't bear to lose him. My life and his were stitched together in the same cloth, meant to be twined into one for all eternity. Just in a few weeks we are going to be married. And then shortly after that, I'll be a vampire and able to be with him forever.

But that will never happen if the Volturi come.

I would never admit it, because it would upset Edward, but there is a very small list of things I'm actually scared of. The Volturi is at the top of the list.

Carlisle once again spoke what I wanted to but couldn't figure out how to. "When are they going to be here?"

Alice hesitated one second before lifelessly chirping, "I couldn't figure out a date b-"

My eyes jumped to her when her voice cut off. Her gaze was blank again but she was moving, blindly grabbing a pen and paper lying nearby.

Alice's hand dashed across the page faster than I could ever hope to move as a human. The scratching of the pen was the only sound in the silent, still room.

My own body had become motionless again. I had picked up the habit from being around the Cullens so much. Whenever something stressful happens, I freeze. And this was very _very _stressful.

Once again, we waited for what seemed to be much longer than what it really was. But my stomach churned uneasily when Alice's vision was over.

Without ever taking his eyes off my face, Edward recited the poem he had read from Alice's mind,

"_When war is upon us_

_Friend will combine with foe_

_Enemies unite as one_

_Both sides with the similar cause_

_To bring the other to ruin_

_Friendships lost, lovers dead_

_Unstable peace treaties_

_Become one unbreaking bond_

_Those who mourn together_

_Will live on and conquer_

_The almighty enemy_

_Will fall_"

**XXXXX**

**MaxRideFreak**- I would've have said this privately but you disabled PM. I don't think you're a bitch at all. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You disagreed with mine, which I'm fine with, but my summary clearly said JAX. If you don't like Jax stories then I suggest you don't read them. Sorry if I'm sounding like a bitch now but I just don't understand why you would read it if you hate it so much. I do agree with you that Max and Fang belong together (same for Jacob and Nessie) but I wanted to write a story where Jacob imprints on one of the flock. I wanted them to be close in age so my only option was Max since Fang, Iggy, and Jacob are all straight. In my opinion, Max and Jacob make a cute couple.

I want to apologize right now. I am so so so incredibly sorry for taking such a long time to update! I was going through a very tragic death in my family and I didn't want to write. Actually one review really got me to start writing again.

Aberk19:

...*blank mind*... you amaze me... i was positively captivated by the entire 4 chapters. (did i really just say that? 'positively captivated'...) well, if i'm talking all proper and shit, you did SOMETHING right. a lot of something's actually. that was seriously really good. it was different from the other max/jacob imprints that i've read so far, my own included. i think you captured the way JP and SM write very well, switching between them based on whose POV it is. i'll be tuning in to see what's next. i love Leah's comments by the way =D they made me happy

That review was just…Wow. Thank you (all of you, you fabulous people!) for staying with my story even when I was on hiatus! Please forgive me and I hope this chapter makes up for all the waiting! And...Uh...You'll probably have to do more waiting. I love writing for you all but I'm also working on my own projects and I need to put more time into those.

Okay…What do you think? Don't you feel kinda bad for Fang? I felt bad for him when writing it! :(

You may or may not have noticed that I changed Max's birthday from July 21st to July 6th. When I was figuring out the timeline later with the wedding and everything I realized Max's birthday was too late. So I just bumped it up a few weeks.

Once again, sorry this took so long. I really did start writing earlier in January but then semester finals came up and I had a messy break up with my boyfriend and I know you really don't care about my personal life so I'll stop.

One more thing: Don't be afraid to give your ideas or input! I love hearing your suggestions! MaxRide05 and I think a few other people said some things in their reviews that could end up changing the whole story line. I want to know what people think of my story and what would make it more interesting to read! So please try to give me any feedback you have!

Thanks for putting up with my rambling and I promise this is the only author's note that will be this long :)

~Midnight Stripes


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: JP and SM own

**Max's POV**

I smiled and swiftly kissed Jacob, "I would love to meet your family."

Jacob grinned excitedly and leaned in for a deeper kiss. I reached my arms up and looped them around his neck. His tall, muscular form made me feel small and like a girl for once in my life. And I didn't feel like I was going to barf. 'Cause I felt girly, I mean. Not because I was kissing Jacob. That could never make me barf. But it does make my heart pound and my stomach get butterflies.

It's kinda hard to explain my reaction. I would love to say I was the strong one and controlled how long it was.

But then I would be a liar. And Maximum Ride only lies to evil people…and when I need people to not know something…and when I need to get out of trouble…and-

I should probably stop now. Okay, back to what I was originally saying.

For the first time in practically two years, I let someone else take control. And it felt good. It didn't feel good just because I was kissing a guy I loved. But it felt good because I somehow felt more free and I forgot I had to be Super Max and that the world's fate rested on my shoulders.

It's funny how when you find the one person, everything changes. And if it doesn't change, keep looking. I have never, _ever _felt or acted like this in my life. And I'm pretty sure even if I didn't grow up in a dog crate, I still would've been new to this crazy thing called love.

I know, silly Max, always rambling on and on about emotions and feelings.

We reluctantly broke apart but stayed in each other's embrace.

Jacob stared at me with a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. Self-consciously, I touched my face and ran my fingers through my hair, "What? Is there something on my face?"

His expression held love and devotion as he gently stroked my cheek, "No. You're absolutely perfect."

I giggled slightly, thinking of all the people, especially scientists, who would disagree strongly with that opinion, "Should we go now?"

Jacob nodded and took a small step back. We started walking through the forest with his arm wrapped tightly around my waist.

"So, who am I meeting?"

Jacob's voice was carefree, "My dad, Billy; Sam, the alpha; Seth, one of my brothers; and my two best friends and brothers Quil and Embry. I'm pretty sure they'll be the only ones there but Sam might bring Emily. You know, his object of imprinting. But don't worry about it, they'll love you."

"It's not that I'm worried, I'm just the tiniest bit nervous. About the size of a pin prick to be exact." Maximum Ride doesn't get nervous. Well…Minus the past few hours. But not many people need to know that.

"Sure sure. You know, you're adorable when you try to hide your nerves."

I lightly smacked his shoulder as I laughed, "Shut up. I'm actually not that nervous. If you're there, I'll be fine."

"I promise I'll be there," Jacob kissed the top of my head before continuing, "There's a little party tomorrow night. Actually, it's not a party at all. We, as in the pack and the elders, are having a bonfire for the telling of the ancient stories. Since we imprinted, you're part of the pack now. And I want you to come."

"Yeah, I'd love to go."

We walked in a comfortable silence for a little while. I contemplated what was going to happen when Jacob met the flock.

And that's when I actually got nervous.

We were at the edge of the trees and I could see a little house just outside the edge. I put my hand on Jacob's shoulder and turned towards him.

"Uh, this probably should wait until later, but we're probably going to see the flock after this and I'm not sure what their reactions will be. You've told me about your family but I haven't said much at all about mine. You should know it'll be…weird. Downright strange. And there'll be some things that will probably happen that you won't expect. Let's take Angel for an example. She's an adorable, innocent-looking six year old with pure white wings. But don't believe appearances. She can read and control minds; breathe underwater; change her appearance; and talk to fish. I've seen her mind control an evil dude with wings to drop out of the sky and another to repeatedly run into a tree. And she's changed her appearance by growing feathers and looking like a bird of paradise. Never judge a book by its cover when it comes to my family." My words came out faster than any human could hope to comprehend.

Jacob calmly responded, "I've seen a lot of things in my life that millions think are supernatural bullshit. I'm a werewolf for one. It's your family so I don't have a problem with it. But, now I'm a little curious…what's your special thing?"

He honestly looked interested more in what my extra powers were than Angel's sometimes-freaky abilities. It took me a moment to get over that, "Well, my maximum speed is somewhere around 260 miles per hour. And I can breathe underwater, too. There are practically invisible gills on the side of my neck, Angel's and Fang's. And that's it for me. Angel's the one who hit the genetic jackpot."

"Wow. We should race again." His arm twined around my waist and we moved forward.

I laughed at the challenge, "Bring it on, wolf boy. But you should know the trees actually slowed me down."

Suddenly, he stopped walking and leaned down to murmur, "What's my punishment if I lose?"

I don't know how, but the sexy way his deep voice sounded and how his warm hands gripped my waist made my knees slightly weak. But I kept it together and whispered back, "Anything I want."

I ignored the fact that I really, _really _wanted to kiss him and kept walking.

Judging by how much Jacob has told me about him and the other wolves, they can see and hear pretty well. Especially when there's an open window on the side of the house facing us. _Embarrassing._

A hand grabbed my own in a touch I was already familiar with just a few feet later, "So…anything you want? What exactly does that mean?" I could tell he was smiling in anticipation.

I smirked, "You'll see."

Jacob's arm wrapped securely around my waist when we were just a few feet from his front door, as if to tell me to relax. I took an almost silent deep breath as his hand reached out to push open the door.

In the two point seven seconds it took for us to get inside, my body tensed as despair of what would happen if Jacob's family didn't like me washed over me like freezing cold water. I would never be allowed to see him again! We would have to meet in secret for only short amounts of time. No, we wouldn't even be able to do that! Jacob's brothers would see in his mind that he was seeing me and come to kill me! Then I would have to kill Jacob's own family! And then he _really _wouldn't want to see me again!

But just then Jacob's fingers gently rubbed circles on my lower back. My logic caught up with me as my body completely relaxed at his touch. Of course they would like me! Jacob and I love each other. They're his family and should be happy he's in love.

"Dad, this is Max. Max, this is my dad," Jacob introduced me.

A man with a kind face and a joyful smile in a wheelchair came forward and shook my hand in what would be firm to humans. But I'm not human. I gently grasped his, trying not to hurt him.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Max. Please, call me Billy," Billy's voice held a sort of ancient importance. It sounded as if the magic that caused his son and ancestors to become wolves, but had skipped over his generation, was making up for it by placing that same enchanting weight in the way Billy commanded respect even while in a wheelchair.

I smiled back and spoke truthfully, "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Billy. Jacob's told me all about you. But don't worry, they were good stories."

Billy chuckled and glanced at his son, "He knows better than to insult his own father. Let's introduce you to the rest of the pack."

Billy led the way around a corner that led to a very cramped living room. I say cramped because there was now five abnormally large werewolves, two normal sized girls, and a man in a wheelchair all in one room. I knew the other girl was Emily from the scars Jacob described. She was still beautiful with them.

"Guys this is Max. Max this is Seth, Quil, Embry, Sam, and Emily," Jacob pointed to each one. They all smiled back. Emily waved a little and immediately stepped closer. Her arms lightly slipped around my waist in a sisterly hug. It surprised me slightly but I hugged back.

Emily pulled back and spoke in a warm, friendly way, "I'm so glad there's finally another girl around here! I was getting claustrophobic with all the guys! You are always free to visit our home whenever!"

"Thank you so much," I could tell we were going to become good friends.

Before I could say anything more, Sam spoke up, "Hello, Max. Welcome to the family."

My eyes pricked slightly at his words but I quickly blinked away the unnecessary tears. Jacob's grip tightened on my waist and I looked up at him. His expression overflowed with love and tenderness. For a moment I forgot we were surrounded by Jacob's family.

Billy's mystic voice broke through the daze we were in, "Why don't we all sit and talk? Surely, Max has some questions."

With a slight blush, I looked away from Jacob. Everyone was either smiling or smirking approvingly. Jacob led me to an empty chair and pulled me down onto his lap. His lips briefly touched my neck when no one was looking.

I'm not sure how but everyone fit comfortably.

"I actually don't have any questions. Jacob has told me practically everything already. But you can ask me questions. I'm sure you're very curious about my wings and what happened earlier," I had decided to tell them anything they wanted. They trust me with their secret so I'll trust them with mine. Besides, we're family now.

"What did happen earlier?" It was Seth who asked this. He seemed curious and excited, not at all wary or angry. Everyone was gazing at me with the same expression.

"Well…my family and I just got here yesterday. We decided to do some exploring today and headed down to a clearing we saw while aerially scouting out Forks. We walked through the forest to have a picnic and randomly picked a spot. Angel, the youngest, can read minds and heard your thoughts. She couldn't tell exactly what you were but we still got out of there. I had grabbed Total, our dog, and Fang had grabbed Akila, our other dog. But he lost his grip and Akila started to fall so I went after her seeing as how I'm the fastest. You know what happened after that. I caught her but I couldn't pull out of the dive fast enough. My ankle broke but I ignored it 'til we got back to the hotel." I paused to let what I had said sink in.

Quil gazed at my ankles in confusion, "How are you able to walk if it just broke hours ago?"

"We normally have fast healing skills but something happened with me and it healed even faster. We're used to randomly acquiring new skills, for lack of a better word," It seemed the only explanation for the sudden heal.

Emily was the next to speak, "Why don't you tell us about your family?"

I grinned. _Well, this should be interesting._ I told them about Angel's adorable innocent looks and devious mind.

"Next is the Gasman, a.k.a. Gazzy. He gets his name from some funky intestinal issues. Seriously, you do not want to be downwind from this kid. It's as lethal as mustard gas. He's eight years old and Angel's brother. Angel and Gazzy are the only ones that are actually related. He has a very frustrating talent of mimicking voices perfectly. And he is always pulling pranks and building explosives with Iggy. You don't know how many times we've had to book it out of a town because of their experiments. But he's a good kid.

"Nudge is eleven years old. She's a motor mouth. She never stops talking! Thank God it's not her bird kid talent. She can communicate with technology, especially computers. She could hack into the president's own computer if she wanted to. She also has this ability called psychometric. It's when she touches something and can feel the emotions surrounding it. Nudge almost screamed from the overload of distress and sadness when she touched the Vietnam Memorial. Her other thing is to attract metal at will. It can get annoying when you try to grab something and the next second it's gone.

"And now there's Iggy. He's six months younger than me. And he's blind. They tried to enhance his night vision and he lost his sight 'cause of it. But he can see things if they're against white. He figured it out when we went to Antarctica. I don't suggest going there. It was horrible. His other senses have enhanced as a result of not being able to see. He can know someone's identity by feeling their fingerprints and tell what color something is by touching it. I know it sounds crazy, but the blind kid's our chef. And he's pretty damn good at it! Iggy and Gazzy are partners in crime. I have yelled myself hoarse at those two because of the bombs and pranks they pull. They blew up an entire parking garage once. But no one who wasn't evil and twisted got hurt, thankfully."

So far, everyone had listened with rapt attention. It seemed they filed away questions for later. I was a little nervous to talk about Fang. After all, we had kissed. But that was before Jacob.

"Fang is just a little bit younger than me. His hair is black, his eyes look black, his clothes are black, and his wings are black. He's my right-wing man and I trust him the most of the flock. He normally doesn't talk a lot. I guess his talent comes from being so quiet. If he holds still long enough, he'll blend in and become invisible. It's pretty amusing when he falls asleep and someone sits on him, not even realizing he's there. He also has gills, like Angel and me."

It was probably a little weird that my shortest description was of Fang, my right wing man, but that's all I could really say without accidently blurting something out that Jacob shouldn't hear.

"So…any questions?"

_**XXXXX**_

Yeah, I know you all want to smack me for the very loooooong waits. But hopefully it's worth it!

Sorry if there are some grammar errors! I don't have enough time to read through this again and fix stuff until tomorrow!

Chapter 7 should be up soon!

~Midnight Stripes


	7. Chapter 7

JP and SM own.

**Max's POV**

"So…any questions?"

There was exactly one second of silence before the room almost exploded from the rapid firing of questions. Without my hawk-like mind and hearing I would've lunged at their throats from trying to keep up.

Jacob must have sensed the stressed way my body reacted because his warm hands started rubbing my back. I relaxed into his touch, releasing all the tension from my body. It was second nature already to feel so comfortable around him. Maybe normal people would have thought it was a little strange, but when have I ever been normal?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take turns!" I pleaded. Even if I was relaxed I couldn't answer every question at once.

Billy was first, seeing as how he's technically the chief, "You said 'they' made Iggy blind. Who are 'they'? Are they the same people who gave you your wings?" Seeing terror flicker across my face, he quickly added on, "You don't have to answer, Max, if you aren't okay with it. I'm sorry for being so intrusive."

My first instinct was to refuse to tell our story. Just flat out say no and walk away. I had _never _gone into detail about how we were born and who was responsible for our genetic differences with anyone outside the flock. But I reminded myself that they trusted me with their secret existence, an existence that protected their people but could never be revealed to more than a select few. I breathed deeply for a few seconds to control myself before responding, "No, Billy, it's fine. This will be a little hard to explain but I'll try my best."

I started by just trying to explain who 'they' were but I couldn't without explaining the School which then turned to me talking about Jeb. It was like an avalanche: It starts with one rock, which hits another, which bounces into others, which moves a bunch of other rocks. Pretty soon I gave up my attempt to keep secrets and spilled my guts.

I told them _everything_. Well, everything minus kissing Fang and thinking I loved him. I now knew what true love was, thanks to Jacob. Who, I noticed curiously, was trembling.

My voice had gone hoarse by the time I had made a complete circle with my story. It had taken about two hours and that was with me skipping over minor details and editing just a tiny little bit.

If I had thought their faces were shocked before, I was just proven wrong. Oh, so wrong. There was a silence broken only by stuttering mumbles from some of my audience. I didn't say anything more—not that I had anymore to say, really—to let them sort through everything they learned.

Jacob's whole body was shaking now and I had no idea why. His arms suddenly gripped me vise-like and crushed me to his muscular chest. I pulled back slightly and turned around, my confused eyes looking into his. What I saw there made my head spin with desperation to comfort him. The deepest pain, anguish, and vulnerability gazed back at me.

My body clung tightly to his, my fingers gently stroking his face, trying to erase the horrible emotions carved into Jacob. The other people in the room melted away as my mind centered on him. I couldn't stand to see him this upset.

I couldn't tell you how long it was before Jacob calmed down. His body stopped shaking but the torture was still evident in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Jacob's voice was quiet and scratchy, rough with cutting emotions. "I am so sorry."

Do you know what I said to that? My response to his heartbreaking apology was, "Huh?" How comforting and supportive am I.

"I know I didn't know you even existed yet. But you had to go through so many horrible things that no one should ever have to see. I'm the one person in the whole world who is destined to protect you. But I didn't. I can never forgive myself for that." His voice was tight with pain at his feeling of failing me. I would've smacked him for being an idiot but I don't think that would help anything.

"Jacob, none of this is your fault. When I really think about it, I can't hate what happened. All the shitty things we had to go through made me who I am. And you are not responsible at all for what happened before I met you." My lips pressed against his tenderly, trying to get him to understand.

Yes, I wish we didn't have to go through so much pain, physically and emotionally. I wish that the rest of the flock, especially the younger kids, never had to survive the way we did because of who we are. But I honestly can't hate it. Without all the torture we went through making us stronger, we would have died a long time ago.

I sat in Jacob's lap, softly playing with the hair at the back of his neck while his arms held me as close as werewolfly possible. Jacob's family had left when I wasn't paying attention but I could hear them in the kitchen, softly discussing my life story. Of course, they weren't rude about it. They were just shocked a life like mine was even possible. What can I say? I'm a unique one.

**Alice's POV**

"I can't tell! It isn't specific enough! I don't know what day, let alone what month, the Volturi are coming. For all I know, they could be here in a week! What I saw was the same clearing where we fought Victoria's newborns. The Volturi came through the woods opposite where I stood but I couldn't see who was on our side. I could feel there were many people surrounding me but, like I literally just said a second ago, I did not see who was there! It could've been Emmett or it could've been a whole freaking circus!" My rant ended with a frustrated sigh as I continued my high-speed pacing. No one has any idea how irritating it is to be gifted with being able to see the future and then not knowing what was going to happen, even after getting two visions. Granted, the second was a poem but it was still very prophetic.

I could feel Jasper trying to soothe my aggravation. But I shook it off and increased the tempo of my pacing to the point where I thought I would make permanent marks in Esme's floor. Jasper wasn't happy I rejected his calm. He stepped into my pacing path and grabbed my hands. Immediately, I relaxed and leaned into his arms, my anger disappearing faster than it would take to jump over the river.

"Alice," Jasper waited until I looked up at him. "We understand that your visions don't give enough specifics. But we need you to look back. Try your best to see more."

Staring into Jasper's eyes, I saw his military experience standing at attention, but even more than that I saw his immortal love for me. Nodding mutely, I rested my forehead on Jasper's chest and did what he asked.

At first, I couldn't sink into a vision. I stood perfectly still, with my mind wide open, waiting for what I hoped was coming. Abruptly, I was heaved from the room and brought to the clearing.

_The first of the Volturi's line advanced through the trees as if robotically controlled in perfect unison. The only sound to be heard was the almost silent rustle of their cloaks over the grass. Already, the vision was longer than the previous one. _

_Now that I had the chance, I gazed around the clearing, trying to gauge when this is happening. The leaves were showing signs of approaching winter. The grass had the lightest layer of frost in the early morning where the sun was just barely beginning to rise. _

_I turned my head to look behind me at the people I could feel. My mouth dropped at what I saw. More wolves than I had ever seen before were lined up and I could tell that many of them had grown since Victoria's newborn attack. Almost every vampire Carlisle had befriended over the centuries was there, standing alongside the wolves and my family._

_What my mind only had seconds to see and try to comprehend was truly the most astonishing, even more astonishing than the wolves and vampires together. Bella was a vampire—finally, Edward came to his senses—but she had a little girl in her arms. The girl had Bella's human eyes copied perfectly and Edward's copper hair. She was the most beautiful child I had ever seen. And she was immortal._

_To keep from shocking myself out of the vision, I turned away. Instead, I saw the kids with wings. The older blonde girl was standing close to the front of our huge group with the two older boys flanking either side of her. A wolf I believed to be Jacob was only feet behind her, positioned toward her in a protective stance. _

_I didn't spare a second more on him as my anxious gaze fell to Angel, Nudge, and the young boy. No matter how tough their faces were, they were only kids. Granted, Nudge at least had wings but how would that help them except to fly away? They seemed like actual humans, for Christ's sake, why are they here? And with the two dogs?_

_With wide eyes, I whipped back around to get a final glimpse of the Volturi. The vision skipped ahead to show me the end of the procession before I was yanked out._

"Holy SHIT!"

As soon as the words left my mouth, I turned in Jasper's arms and faced my family. They stood with rigid tension and waited for me to speak.

"I saw the Volturi and a lot more this time! My guess is this happens in October or November based on the leaves and grass. The wolves were there. Many, _many_wolves. And standing right next to them is every vampire Carlisle is friends with and some others I didn't recognize. Bella is a vampire. And she was holding a beautiful little immortal girl. But the girl looks exactly like Edward and Bella, like she's their actual daughter. She couldn't have been more than a young toddler.

"The kids with wings and their two dogs were there as well. I didn't understand why they were there. It's too dangerous. But then I understood. The dictators and scientists are looking for _six_ experiments. There are six humans with _wings_. How could they not be classified as experiments? As soon as I understood that, the vision ended. But I got one more half-second to see the Volturi."

This was the only point I paused at. I didn't want to be one hundred perfect sure of what I saw. The thought was too terrifying and, as far as I know, has never happened in all of the Volturi's history.

"The entire Volturi guard was present. Including…Aro, Caius, and Marcus…and I saw the wives," I plowed on, not giving them a chance to say anything before I completely finished. "There was a group of vampires near the back. They seemed angry and looked like they wanted to attack us. Witnesses to the Volturi's law and Aro's audience. Irina was with them."

**Bella's POV**

Hours later, Edward brought me home in his Volvo so as not to make Charlie suspicious.

"I'll be back in ten minutes," He promised as his lips touched my forehead.

I nodded and slipped out of the car. The night was dark, closing in on me and my fears as I walked as quickly as I could to the front door. Taking a deep breath, I tested out my acting skills. If I stepped in my house with terror screaming from my face, Charlie would jump to conclusions and never let me see Edward again. I reminded myself that becoming a Cullen meant being able to smoothly lie my way through any undesirable situations. So, I securely fastened on a mask of neutrality and opened the door. The sounds of a baseball game filtered down the hall.

"Dad, I'm home."

"Hey, Bells. How was Edward's?"

I moved toward him and leaned against the door frame. "It was good. Alice swamped me with wedding details as usual. Oh, and Carlisle and Esme invited us to have dinner with their family at whatever date works best for us. Don't worry, Dad, it's not formal."

Charlie turned away from the game to glance at me in slight surprise. "Well, that's nice of them. Any day would be fine with me. You have an idea, Bella?"

"Well, today is Wednesday. How about next Friday?" Before Alice had the visions about the Volturi, Esme had suggested dinner with Charlie. Alice confirmed that next Friday would be the best date.

Charlie nodded in agreement and went back to his game.

"I'm gonna head up to bed. Night, Dad."

"Sleep tight, Bells."

It wasn't until I had shut the door behind me that my façade fell. I resisted sinking on to my bed yet so I could have a human moment before Edward came back. I grabbed my bag and pajamas and headed to the bathroom. The shower's hot water relaxed the tight tension in my neck, shoulders, and along my back. As the shower enveloped me in calm, I wondered. Would showering ease the stress in my body the same way it does when I'm human as when I'm a vampire?

Why I was worrying about that, I didn't know. I wouldn't need a shower. Edward was all I needed to relax and I would be able to have him for all eternity.

And I'll apprantly have a daughter as well.

No one—not even Carlisle—believed it was possible for vampires to have children. In fact, they don't know if they even believe that little girl was our actual daughter. Alice said she looked to be about three years old. How would it be possible for me to go through nine months of pregnancy and have a kid that was a toddler all in just over four months?

The Cullens explained to me about the immortal children: how they would wipe out entire towns; could never control their bloodlust; and how the Volturi swore to kill every last one of them and banned the creation of vampire children. If that little girl was immortal, I don't know if I'd want her as my child.

**XXXXX**

I don't even know what to say to those of you that still read this when I don't write for weeks...and months. I'm be beyond grateful. I really can't say I'm sorry enough. I love you all!

If you like my writing and want to read something of mine that will never need updating because it's a one-shot, look at my profile for Leah's Dream. It's about the dream Leah tells Jacob about in the epilouge of Eclipse...but I made it funnier. But, beware: Leah has the mouth of a sailor when she bitches someone out! Damn, did I have fun writing that!

Once again, I LOVE YOU ALL! And I completely understand if you all want to strangle me to force me to write. I hope I don't disappoint you with this chapter! And if there are grammar mistakes or something like that I would really appreciate it if you politely told me in a review or PM. Thank you :)

OH! I ALMOST FORGOT! You know how I promised love blooming, jealousy raging, and Emmett eating human food? Well, I gave you the first two. And, I don't know if any of you caught it, but Emmett will eat human food at the Cullen's dinner with Charlie and Bella! I didn't even realize I had written it a situation for that to happen until I looked it over later! What I have in mind is just too perfect :)

~Midnight Stripes


End file.
